1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to above ground water storage devices such as water retention ponds, evaporation ponds, and the like.
2. Related Art
Many large industrial projects, such as construction sites and oil or gas wells use tremendous amounts of water both in operations and clean up of the work site and equipment. Often such projects are not close to a plentiful water supply and must ship water to the project site. To minimize cost and logistical problems with continual shipping, and to insure an adequate amount of water is available to the project, temporary water storage facilities are usually developed near the project site.
Typically, such temporary storage facilities consist of a large hole excavated at or near the site with a water resistant liner disposed in the hole. The liner is then filled with water creating a temporary pond or reservoir to which water can be shipped via truck. When the project is finished, the remaining water is removed and the hole is filled in.
These types of temporary ponds are expensive to create, maintain and recover, and can be problematic to operate. For example, due to the amount of water needed for the industrial activity, the size of the hole required can be substantial, and the excavation costs alone can exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Moreover, recovery and clean up costs can be at least as expensive as installation costs.
Another problem with this type of below-ground temporary water storage is that the liners can leak water from the pond into the surrounding terrain. This is especially problematic when the temporary pond includes drilling lubricant or tailings and the water escaping the liner contaminates ground water sources. Because temporary ponds are below ground, such a leak is likely to go undetected until ground water sources are sufficiently polluted to manifest the contamination.
Additionally, below ground water storage facilities are difficult to resize in the event that more or less water is needed in the water storage facility. Resizing such water storage facilities typically requires additional excavation to either increase the depth or area of the water storage facility.